05) GREETINGS TO UNIFOR DELEGATES

People's Voice Editorial

            One of the most significant trade union gatherings in recent years takes place in Toronto over the Labour Day weekend - the inaugural convention of Unifor, bringing together some 300,000 members of CAW and CEP into a new organization.

            Free advice, according to a popular adage, is worth what you pay. That's certainly true for the counsel provided by Globe and Mail columnist Konrad Yakabuski, who recently urged Unifor members - especially those in the public sector - to keep wage demands modest and refrain from strike action. That "constructive" approach is the best way to show real solidarity with low-wage workers, he glibly claims.

            We hope that Unifor will reject such right-wing arguments. The preamble to the Unifor constitution correctly points out that the unlimited power of corporations and bankers leads to a relentless race to the bottom. The preamble hits the mark by stressing that "the wealth we create is captured by a small and over-privileged elite", and that "our rights and well‑being at work are in jeopardy."

            These problems will not be solved by building "partnerships" with the big corporations. Genuine economic and social progress for working people does require partnership and cooperation - between public and private sector workers, the organized and unorganized, those with full-time jobs and the growing numbers who face daily economic insecurity. Unity of all workers is needed to turn back the corporate attack, and the success of Unifor will be measured by its ability to build such unity.       

            On this historic occasion, we send our warmest greetings to all Unifor delegates, and express our confidence that the new union will advance the interests of the working class across Canada!

(The above article is from the September 1-15, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC,